The New Almaden Quicksilver Mine brought technical expertise from around the world. Miners came from Mexico, from Chile, and from as far away as Cornwall. In the March 2018 Sourisseau Academy news video Ralph Pearce details the story of the tremendous growth of the ethnic diversity of the Santa Clara Valley’s populace during the decades of quicksilver production at New Almaden.

Today’s multilingual voter pamphlets do not have instructions in French, German, Italian, or Portuguese. But as historian Ralph Pearce reveals, between 1848 and 1920 those ethnic groups were among the most prevalent communities in the Santa Clara Valley. The February 2018 Sourisseau Academy photo album explores San Jose’s early immigrants and their interesting ethnic neighborhoods.

From the 1860s to World War II, most of the money in Santa Clara County was stacked in the vaults of San José banks located within two blocks of First and Santa Clara streets. In the January 2018 Sourisseau Academy photo album Michael Hurley, retired attorney and Sourisseau Board member, details the history of late 19th century and early 20th century banking in the region.

The November 2017 Sourisseau Academy news video features Sourisseau Academy Board member April Halberstadt’s story of intrepid photographer Alice Iola Hare, who brought her own distinct vision to the first wave of the Penny Postcard craze of the early 1900s.